(Read February issue of Martha Stewart Living for an excellent article on dark, rich chocolate.) Cacoa is indigenous to what is now Mexico and an important part of the Aztec and Mayan culture. Before the Spanish explorers took cacao beans back to their homeland, chocolate was unknown to the Old World. Find out how many bowls of chocolate were consumed daily by Montezuma. History

WHERE IS MECCA?

Mecca is in Saudi Arabia. Every Muslim is required to make a pilgrimmage there once in his life (if he can afford it.) It is the birthplace of Mohammed; the Holy City of Islam.

WHERE IS MARRAKESH?

It is a city in Morroco, in Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara. The rich and famous are rediscovering it, and buying rugs and furniture there by the shipload. However, a book which shows an entirely different aspect on Morocco is STOLEN LIVES, Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, by Malika Oufkir True account of the young playmate to the daughter of the King of Morocco: after a coup attempt led by her father, the entire family was imprisoned for 20 years; the father was killed outright. The food of Morocco is spicy and delicious. Check this page for some ideas why.

COFFEE IS INDIGENOUS TO WHICH CONTINENT?

Africa. Arab traders introduced qahwah seeds from the districts of Kaffa and Buno, Ethiopia and began the first true cultivation of the plants in the Arabian Peninsula sometime between 1000 to 1500 years ago.

WHERE IS THE BLACK DRAGON RIVER?

Over 20 years ago, a raging fire along the river burned an enormous forested area, perhaps making this one of the largest fires in history. The river is also called the Amur. It forms much of the border between China and Russia. I confess I knew this one, having been there in 1998.

SOHO can stand for Small Office, Home Office, but it is also a place! An acronym for SOuth of HOuston (pronounced "how-stun") Street. This eclectic neighborhood in lower Manhattan had a long history before becoming filled with New York City's artists' ateliers. Read about it here:

BRZEZINKA, (Birkinau) Poland – January 2005 commemorates the 60th anniversary of the liberation of this Nazi death camp. 1.5 million people were killed here. The camp was liberated by the Russians. Out of 7,000 Nazis who took part in the torture and killing at Auschwitz, only 800 were ever prosecuted. Source: PBS Special, Feb. 2, 2005

See the movie Schindler's List.for a heart wrenching but elevating story. Also, see The Pianist

WHERE IS THE LARGEST VOLCANO IN THE CASCADE RANGE?

Hint: It's a part of Lava Beds National Monument, in northern California. Check it out!

Find out how the terrain helped Captain Jack and 53 others (a MODOC INDIAN) hold of the US Cavalry at over 5,000 strong, for 2 years.

Desiring genuine peace and freedom for the world; health, comfort and joy for children and their communities; abundance and a sense of purpose for all. May there be clean air, unpolluted waters, unspoiled lands for our children. May there be a nurturing spirit of inclusion instead of exclusion, and may political or religious extremism in any form give way to a peaceful path of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. ....THE BIG WHITE DOG

WEBSITE DESIGN COPYRIGHT 2005 JUDY GOSNELL

THE FIREBIRD, original art (colored pencil) by Violetta Rizhikova 1997